Stronger Than a Bronze Dragon
Written by Mary Fan
Narrated by Emily Woo Zeller
4/5
()
About this audiobook
Knowing the viceroy won't protect her village without the jewel, she takes matters into her own hands. But once she catches the thief, she discovers he needs the pearl just as much as she does. The two embark on an epic quest across the land and into the Courts of Hell, taking Anlei on a journey that reveals more is at stake than she could have ever imagined.
With incredibly vivid world building and fast-paced storytelling, Stronger Than a Bronze Dragon is great for listeners who are looking for something fresh in epic fantasy.
Mary Fan
Mary Fan is a sci-fi/fantasy writer hailing from Jersey City, NJ. She is the author of the Jane Colt sci-fi series (Red Adept Publishing), the Flynn Nightsider YA dark fantasy series (Crazy 8 Press), the Starswept YA sci-fi series (Snowy Wings Publishing), and Stronger Than A Bronze Dragon, a YA steampunk fantasy (Page Street Publishing). She is also the co-editor of the Brave New Girls YA sci-fi anthology series about girls in STEM (proceeds are donated to the Society of Women Engineers scholarship fund). In addition, she has had numerous short stories published in collections including MINE!: A celebration of liberty and freedom for all benefitting Planned Parenthood (ComicMix), Magic at Midnight (Snowy Wings Publishing), Tales of the Crimson Keep (Crazy 8 Press), and Thrilling Adventure Yarns (Crazy 8 Press). In her spare time, when she has any, she can usually be found in choir rehearsal, at the kickboxing gym, or tangled up in aerial silks.
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Reviews for Stronger Than a Bronze Dragon
20 ratings3 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A surprisingly fun and moving adventure with characters you grow to love as they grow into better versions of themselves.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5This Chinese-inspired fantasy gave me a fluttery heart from the moment that I saw its cover. Let's be honest, it's a great time to be a reader in this movement of own voices books. I couldn't wait to see how Mary Fan would blend this rich history, a bit of steampunk, and a heavy dose of fantasy into something new. To say I was excited for this book probably doesn't even cover it, but we'll leave it at that. I was ready to be swept away.Now, in all fairness, I am an extremely character driven reader and Anlei took a long while for me to actually enjoy. It's not that she's a bad character, by an means. Fan has created a young woman who is bright, fierce, and full of honor. Anlei isn't afraid to speak her mind, or to step into the face of danger to protect others. However the first third or so of the book it almost felt like Anlei's character was trying too hard to be the exact opposite of a Mary Sue. She was fierce and combative to the point of it feeling like she was a cardboard version of what she wanted to be. That was rough for me. As the story went on though, and I followed her through her adventures, I fell more in love with her attitude. If only a little more polish had been given to the dialogue that she had with a lot of other characters at the beginning, I feel like we could have started off on a better foot.In terms of world building, which is my second necessity in fantasy reads, this one fell a little short. While the steampunk aspects were absolutely stunning (mechanical dragons anyone?), there wasn't enough explanation of Anlei's world to really make things feel solid. I tripped along with her as she flew across her land, headed for danger, but I never really felt like I was actually there. If I could wish for anything, it would be more time to really sink into the world and find my place in it. Maybe the finished book will have a map inside, which would be amazing! I would have loved to feel like I was actually there with Anlei.The last thing I want to address is the plot, and this is a touchy one because I don't want to give anything away for potential readers. I'll simply say that this is a rich story, full of mythology, but it definitely drags in places. I honestly believe that this story could have done with some tightening up. Watching Anlei and Tai travel around and battle evil was fantastic. Following along with their banter and their harrowing adventures was a lot of fun. However some of their journey, and some of their dialogue, felt more forced than it should have. It made the book drag at times to the point I needed to skim ahead, but it didn't stop me from reading on.Truthfully, I did enjoy my time with this book. Maybe not quite as much as I had originally hoped, but it was still so refreshing to get lost in such a culture rich story. If you're a fan of fantasy that has strong women and epic battles, this is a story for yo
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Stronger than a Bronze Dragon by Mary Fan is an Asian inspired tale that follows Liang Anlei on her quest to save her village from the ravages of the demonic Ligui. Anlei is one of the few women serving in the Dailan Guard, protecting the village from the nightly predations of the Ligui. When the Viceroy of the province offers the protection of his personal army in exchange for Dailan's sacred River Pearl, the deal is sealed with a marriage pact and Anlei is chosen to be his new bride. The fierce Anlei is unhappy at the prospect, especially since the Viceroy makes it clear he views her as property. When the River Pearl is stolen, putting Dailan's protection at risk, she goes after the thief. Tai isn't what she expects though, and needs the Pearl just as desperately as she does to save his own people. She agrees to go with him and help, then return the Pearl to the Viceroy. In doing so, Anlei ends up on an adventure that leads her all the way to the Courts of Hell to confront Mowang and learn the truth of the Ligui, a truth more terrible than she once thought.I rather enjoyed this story! I love the Asian inspired culture, patterned after the ancient Chinese dynasties. People from other cultures show up too. 'Westerners' in passing, and African in the form of Ibsituu, a magic user. She was one of my favourite characters. I absolutely adored the steampunk elements, with the magically driven clockwork dragons and automatons. Especially the dragons! And there are airships as well! Visiting the mythical Courts of Hell was neat, again, inspired by Chinese myth. It was a little surreal too, especially the hallucinations the demons induced. I liked Anlei well enough. At times, her impulsiveness annoyed me. She put others at risk too often by not thinking before acting, including risking the Viceroy's protection for her people. Tai the thief, on the other hand, was too adorable and I sympathised with his feelings of being unwanted, and how it shaped his childhood, and adulthood. His carefree nature was hiding such deep wounds. While I believe that the circumstances the pair faced together could forge a bond of love quickly, I find it difficult in this case, given Anlei's personality and disposition. I believe Tai could, but I kinda feel Tai deserves better too. Anlei has dyslexia, and it was neat to see how that played into the story. It didn't feel a contrived element either, but just a part of who she was. The time felt too short for such an adventure, even given the speed the airships offered travel. Everything seemed building to reaching Mowang, but that wasn't the end of the story, and the last bit felt rushed and thrust a background character into the forefront. If you enjoy Asian influenced fantasy, and steampunk elements, be sure to check this read out! I look forward to seeing the writer grow into her own, and I'd definitely read future books. Especially if they have the clockwork dragons!***Many thanks to Netgalley and Page Street Publishing for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. Reviewed as part of the Fantastic Flying Book Club Blog Tour.